Middleware, such as message-oriented middleware (MOM), for example, includes software or hardware infrastructure such as web servers, application servers, messaging and similar tools that support sending and receiving messages between distributed systems. Middleware can enable interoperability between applications that run on different operating systems by supplying services so the application can exchange data in a standards-based way.
The computer software industry has several well established middleware products that provide message queuing services to customers requiring asynchronous messaging for their enterprise applications. These products have successfully provided asynchronous message retrieval features using a First In First Out (FIFO) queuing scheme. Although the FIFO approach has adequately met the requirements of many applications, it has been unable to address the needs of applications that require a more diverse set of message retrieval options. As a result of this gap in functionality, applications that require a random message retrieval scheme or a Last In First Out (LIFO) scheme, have required developers to write “home grown” custom solutions to satisfy their requirements.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide methods and systems for dynamically changing a message retrieval scheme during runtime to enhance the functionality of messaging middleware so that a broader set of customer requirements can be met.